The 7 Best Championship Games in Alabama Football History

1926 Rose Bowl – “The Game That Changed the South”

The 1926 Rose Bowl is called “the game that changed the South” because it was the first bowl game appearance of the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Alabama’s opponents in their very first Rose Bowl appearance were the Washington Huskies. Alabama won the game 20 – 19 and earned its very first national championship.

Alabama almost didn’t get to play in the game though; the Rose Bowl originally invited Tulane to play Washington. Tulane turned down the invitation to the Rose Bowl however because they felt like they weren’t big enough to play against the Huskies.

Alabama scored all of their points in the third quarter… so we guess that even in 1926 Bama had already established their brand of making Crimson Tide fans panic until the second half.

Alabama Football was coached by legendary coach Wade Wallace and the MVP of the game was Johnny Mack Brown. Johnny Mack Brown was the first star running back that lead Alabama to a national title.

Johnny Mack Brown’s performance led to him being featured on a Wheaties box and then paired with his good looks to a career in Hollywood starring in western movies.

The 1926 Rose Bowl is important because it’s the game that started it all. Alabama’s championships wins and traditions can all be traced back to this first Rose Bowl in January 1926. This could be argued to be the most important game in Alabama history since it kind of started it all, but there’s just so much more to come.

Next: The 50 Best Players In Alabama Football History

Hopefully the game against Clemson ranks as one of the best championship games in Alabama’s long history. Roll Tide!